Amanda Gorman Will Be the Youngest Poet to Read at a Presidential Inauguration
In modern history, Democratic presidents have included a presentation by a poet during their inauguration and Amanda Gorman will join this list of legends for Joe Biden’s inauguration.
This tradition began when John. F Kennedy extended the invitation for Robert Frost to perform one of his works. Frost ended up composing a separate poem and read two during the inauguration.
American poet Robert Frost, who had recited a poem at JFK’s inauguration, died #OTD in 1963. “He was the great American poet of our time….He had promises to keep, and miles to go, and now he sleeps.” – JFKhttps://t.co/4nLc8yEsWD pic.twitter.com/9JNZo1PtnL
— Presidential Trivia (@triviapotus) January 29, 2020
Since then, in the past twenty-five years, only four other presidents have included poets to present at their inauguration: Maya Angelou for Bill Clinton, Miller Williams for Bill Clinton’s second term, Elizabeth Alexander for Barack Obama, and Richard Blanco for Obama’s second term.
If you remember, Pres Bill Clinton was so fortunate to have the late poet Maya Angelou speak at his inauguration. @HillaryClinton pic.twitter.com/1jXlcgj8rN
— Danny Knoll (@dinodogstar) January 22, 2017
For Joe Biden’s inauguration, Amanda Gorman, a 22-year-old graduate from Harvard University, has been chosen as the poet for the ceremony. Gorman has already been making waves in her field for a time now, winning countless awards, a book deal with Penguin Random House, and other special occasions like writing for Nike and appearing on MTV. Gorman was nominated for this special event through a recommendation from none-other than the incoming First Lady, Jill Biden.
She has begun crafting her poem, “The Hill We Climb.” Gorman has been advised to write something positive and uplifting but she is not one to shy away from the tense moment that all American’s witnessed on January 6. Gorman is Black, and in her past works, she has acknowledged and fought against injustices such as the events of Charlottesville.
While the inauguration is a once-in-a-lifetime event to watch for so many reasons, keep your eyes open for Gorman’s performance as it will be a historic moment to remember.
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